If you are crafty at sewing with cloth, sewing leather might come with a bit of a challenge. Unlike cloth or any fabric, leather can be tough and thick. Maybe you would think an industrial machine can only do the job, then you are wrong. A regular home sewing machine can be used to sew leather, so never fear. If you are still on the lookout for good regular home sewing machines, you may get info on bestsewingmachines.reviews so that you can choose the one which best suits your needs and is within your budget.
There are many projects that you can do using leather and having all the right equipment and tools can do the trick. Below are 4 tips that you can follow to make sewing leather work out just fine.
-
Use a leather needle.
Leather needles are specially made to work with leather. The spear-shaped, pointy tip of the leather needle makes it easy to pierce through leather. Leather needles may be available at your sewing or craft store and come in a variety of sizes depending on the thickness and toughness of your leather. It is advised to change your leather as often as it needs replacing so your work will always be seamless and clean.
-
Use clips instead of pins in holding your leather in place.
Using pins to hold the leather in place while sewing does not work like it does when using them on fabrics. As much as possible, creating unwanted holes in the leather, you are working on should be avoided because they will be permanent. You can use binder clips or fold back clips instead to be sure that your leather will not get ruined by holes. It is also a good idea to use double sided tape to keep layers of your leather together. Just keep them below the stitching line to avoid the problem of the tape getting caught in the needle while sewing.
-
Use polyester or nylon thread.
Leather is definitely a more durable material than fabric. Therefore, the thread to use must be something that can hold up as long as your leather can. Synthetic threads such as polyester or nylon are stronger and more durable as compared to cotton threads which degrade over time. So, polyester and nylon are the thread types which work best with leather.
-
Secure beginning and end of stitching with a knot.
If backstitching is your habit of securing the beginning and end of your stitching while sewing fabrics, this method does not work well with leather. Securing the beginning and end of your stitching on leather must be done with a knot. Backstitching to seal your row of stitches on leather may cause it to tear or damage it.
After reading the tips above, sewing leather must not be such a scary thought after all, if you keep them all in mind. Adding a little more insight, sewing leather must be taken with extra care and focus as compared to sewing fabrics because sewn leather cannot be re-done as the stitches will leave holes whether you like it or not. But with the right attitude and the right tools, you will finish your leather projects in a breeze.